Silent Waltz
by Guillotine Cloud
Summary: Here it is, folks! My Cloud/Aeris romance. It's one of the longest fics I've written, so it's long. read and review please. Oh, and enjoy it too!


Silent Waltz **__**

Silent Waltz

This is just a little Cloud/Aeris romance fic I wrote (I love Cloud/Aeris!) I put effort into this, so I hope you enjoy it! This takes place after the death of Sephiroth. It tells of Aeris's resurrection and of Cloud's true feelings. Read and review please! Enjoy!

It was a normal day in Midgar. The sun was shining bright overhead. The plate of Midgar was removed, and Midgar was rebuilding to become a city to end all cities. Cloud Strife was sitting on the roof of Tifa's Seventh Heaven Neo bar, which was the first building put up after the clearing of Sector 7. Sector 7 was looking better than it was before the plate disaster, and spirits were high. But one spirit was very low, and that spirit was the spirit of Cloud. After Sephiroth was slain, everyone rejoiced and set off doing normal things and rebuilding Midgar. But Cloud began to grow empty. Since he had virtually nothing to take his mind off the loss anymore, Cloud began to wish that Aeris was still alive. More and more each day he thought of Aeris. One day, that one normal day, Cloud was staring blankly into the sky from the roof of the bar, when Vincent arrived and climbed up to the roof. Cloud turned to Vincent with a staged smile. "Hey Vincent. Nice day, huh?" Vincent gave a blank, skeptical look. "I'm not very used to the light. It's not really what I enjoy." "Really…" Cloud replied. "I like the light." "Cloud, you seem…rather depressed." Said Vincent to Cloud. "What's the matter?" Cloud looked up. "Oh, nothing….." _Nothing…I wish it was just nothing…_ Vincent's eyes narrowed. "Cloud…you look like I did when I saw Lucrecia for the first time in a long time in that waterfall…grim and out-of-it. I know that gloom." _Wish you did, Vin…wish you did…_ Cloud stared at his feet, which were dangling off the side of the bar roof. Vincent was dangling his legs as well. From inside the bar came festive merrymaking and sick drunkards telling odd yet funny jokes. "I…well, it's just-" Cloud started, but Vincent cut him off by waving his hand. "I know, Cloud. Love is a tricky thing. Listen, seek the impossible. I know someone in Kalm named Zarukan. He knows much about the ways of the Phoenix. Never give up hope, Cloud. Never." said Vincent, and he leaped off the roof and walked away in that shadowy way of his. Cloud once again looked up into the blue, clear sky. _Never give up hope…how could someone stuck in a coffin say something like that? How…_Cloud got up, leaped off the roof, and set off for the gates of Midgar. He was Kalm-bound.

Soon, Cloud reached the serene, peaceful town of Kalm. Cloud asked about Zarukan, and they all pointed him to the Inn. Inside the Inn, Cloud inquired of Zarukan's location, and was pointed to room 12. Cloud knocked on the door, and out stepped a young man with gold spectacles and a little green bowler. "Excuse me, are you Zarukan?" inquired Cloud. The man smiled. "Yes, I am he." said the man, and he offered his hand for a shake. Cloud shook it, albeit reluctantly. "What have you come for?" asked Zarukan, grinning widely. _Oh great! The only one who may be able to help, and he's a nutcase. Just my luck!_ "Um, a man named Vincent Valentine directed me to you. He-" Cloud began, but Zarukan interrupted with a gasp. "Vincent! You have been directed by him? Indeed, you must be a friend of his, and a friend of his is a friend of mine!" Zarukan tipped his hat and smiled broadly. "Now, what is it you need?" "Um, well, I need to revive a friend of mine. Can you do that?" Zarukan did not reply right away. He thought and thought. Finally he said "Come in." Zarukan led Cloud into his hotel room, which was basically a whole science lab. Tubes and beakers and notepads were scattered everywhere. _Jeez, a real mad scientist here!_ Zarukan walked Cloud over to a vial filled with red liquid. Zarukan sighed deeply. "My friend, this is what you are seeking. I call it the Phoenix Liquid. It may work, it may not. It is still in it's testing stages, but it may work. There would be no reason not to, as it would do no harm to those who are already dead. Here, I entrust you with this. I hope that Aeris Gainsborough will live again." Cloud gasped. "H-how do you know about Aeris?" _Oh my gosh! Does he…know?_ Zarukan smiled. "Vincent…he tells me much…good luck, friend." Zarukan handed Cloud the vial. 'T-thank you!" said Cloud, and he hastily left the room.

By the time Cloud returned to the Sector 7 Slums, it was the night. Many people were gathered by the gates for some reason. When Cloud turned the last bend and began walking toward the slum gates, everybody gasped and yelled in celebration. Tifa, who was looking very eager, and upon the arrival of Cloud, yelled "CLOUD!!!!" and raced over to Cloud, throwing here arms around him. "Cloud…." Said Tifa, embracing him tight. "What? What's going on? Why is everybody here at the gates?" said Cloud, walking forward. "You…you left without telling us! We all…we all thought…that you…that you…" Cloud felt a teardrop fall on his shoulder. Tifa was sobbing, albeit quietly. "B-but why? I mean, it's no big deal?" "(sniff) We, we heard about some bandits that were lurking around the gates, and we-we-we were scared they had got you!" Cloud grinned. "Come on! We beat Sephiroth! How am I gonna lose to some bandits?" Tifa looked up at Cloud, eyes shining in the moonlight. "W-well, I guess so…(sniff)" she said, trembling. Tifa let go of Cloud and forced a smile. "Well, how about a drink?" she said, trying to be cheerful. "Um, not right now, I have…things to do." Said Cloud, fingering the flask in his pocket. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Vincent, hiding in the shadows. "O-okay, Cloud!" said Tifa. "When will you be back?" "I don't know…maybe tomorrow." "Okay." Replied Tifa, and once again, Cloud set off. Tifa stood there, silently. Vincent, lurking in the shadows, slowly crept away from the slum gates, following Cloud.

Cloud walked through the moonlight slowly. He was wondering how he would get to The City of the Ancients. He planned to borrow a chocobo, cross the Mythril Mines, and then take a boat to the continent with the City of the Ancients. Cloud was halfway to the Chocobo Ranch when he heard a voice whisper to him "Cloud!" Cloud whirled around, with his hand on his sword. However, it was only Vincent, stepping out of the shadows. "Vincent!" cried Cloud, taking his hand off his sword. "Did you follow me?" Vincent nooded. "Yeah, I did. I wanted to show you something. Follow me." Vincent led Cloud to a ledge near Kalm. "Look at this!" said Vincent, and he pushed on a part of the rock with all his might. Suddenly, the wall slid in and revealed a secret passage! Cloud gasped in amazement. "Wow!" yelled Cloud. "That's amazing, Vincent!" "Come on. This leads deep underground. It passes through the water table, and then makes a straight path to The City of the Ancients. Follow me, I've been this way before!" Cloud followed Vincent into the mouth of the cavern. The cavern was damp, and had an odd smell. However, as the declined and declined, the cavern seemed to have less of a smell. There was a great number of stalactites and stalagmites in the cavern, some connecting to form a pillar. The going was tougher as they descended. They kept going down and down, silently, for about 15 minutes. Then, Vincent said "We are passing through the water table, and we are nearing the point of sea level. Now, if we head just north of here, we should be directly underneath Kalm, and then the sea would be just north. This path heads north then breaks off Northwest and heads for that continent. Once we get a little further, we'll have an interesting mode of transportation. Come on!" Vincent led Cloud down deeper and deeper. The cavern were very damp, and quite humid. It got worse and worse. _How long am I going to have to wait?_ However, after a while, the ground started to not decline as much and the moisture level seemed to be dropping with every step they took. Eventually, they reached level ground. Vincent spoke again. "Now, just ahead of us is a mine cart operated by a switch. The switch is getting electricity from Kalm, which is almost directly above us. We are almost there. Come on!" Vincent and Cloud continued on. About 5 minutes later, they reached the mine cart. Vincent had a solemn look on his face. "Sorry, Cloud, but that's the end of the line for me. You have to face your dreams alone. Just follow your heart, and you'll be fine. That's one thing I guess I never did. Vincent put his hand on his heart and they both stood silent. After a minute, Vincent said "Next time I see you, I hope that you will be cradling your true love in your arms! Adieu!" and with that, Vincent turned the other way and crept into the shadows, before Cloud could respond. _Vincent…thanks for being a friend…I'll be back with Aeris._ Cloud now felt very lonely, as he got in the mine cart. He pressed a button and the mine cart kicked into gear. It started out slow, but then picked up speed! It was a pleasant speed however. Cloud drifted to sleep as he rode in the mine cart. He dreamed of his love, Aeris.

When Cloud awoke from his sleep, he found that the mine cart had stopped, and that he was in a cavern filled with crystals. Cloud wiped his eyes and hopped out of the mine cart, and began to walk. The ground was level for a while, then it started to ascend. Cloud walked upwards for a good 20 minutes until he reached a stone wall. Cloud pushed with all his might and the rock slid away. He stepped out of the cavern and took a deep whiff of the fresh air. _Ahh! _Cloud thought to himself. _Fresh air!_ Cloud turned to the west and saw a sight that lifted his sunken spirits even more: Bone Village! Cloud raced off in the direction of the village. He arrived at the village and walked in. Lots of people were digging that day, and a pile of strange artifacts were piled on the ground. Cloud walked through the village and entered the Sleeping Forest. He passed through the trees, then passed through the paths leading to the City of the Ancients. _I can't believe this…Will this work? Will I be able to revive Aeris? Aeris…_ Cloud looked up at the sky above him. He could see the sun shining bright overhead. _I hope that's my lucky star…_ said Cloud, holding his hand to his heart. Cloud then sprinted off, towards the City of the Ancients. With great speed, he raced to the pond where they had laid Aeris to rest. Cloud took the vial out of his pocket and placed it on the ground next to the water. _Here goes nothing…_ thought Cloud, and he dived into the water. It was icy cold, and seemed to cut through Cloud's flesh and bone. Yet Cloud still swam, deeper and deeper, to the place where Aeris lay, motionless. Cloud grabbed onto Aeris and swam, as hastily as possible, to the surface. Cloud's heart was racing. _Will this work? Could my true love once again live?_ Cloud came to the surface with a splash, gasping for air. He climbed up the side of the pond and hoisted Aeris's limp body up. Aeris's flesh looked pale and wrinkly, and it seemed to be deteriorating. It was more than 6 months ago that Aeris was lain to rest. Cloud set Aeris's body on the ground and grabbed the vial. He uncorked the bottle and poured the contents into Aeris's mouth. Then he set Aeris' body down, and wait for the effects to occur. Cloud waited and waited, for what seemed like hours, but was actually only 20 minutes. Then, Aeris began to twitch. Cloud's eyebrows raised. "A-Aeris?" Aeris then began to moan and mumble. "Aeris?" Cloud's eyes opened wide. For the first time since Aeris's death, Cloud cried. He sobbed softy, tears of joy. Aeris then began to move quite noticeably, and then, slowly, she sat up. "AERIS!" cried Cloud, and he threw his arms around her. "Wha-what? C-Cloud?" Aeris muttered. Her voice was shaky. Cloud withdrew his embrace and stared at Aeris. "(sniff) Aeris…I can't…believe it! You're…alive!" Aeris shook the water off her like a dog, and Cloud chuckled slightly. Aeris giggled faintly. "Come on, Aeris, I'm going to take you back to Midgar." And Cloud picked up Aeris, and started journeying all the way home. _Finally…I've waited all my life for this!_ Aeris slept most of the way, but Cloud was not concerned, as Aeris occasionally woke up or showed other signs of life. As they walked, rain started to fall gently, sweetly, and softly, pitter pattering, so serene. They were like kisses from the boughs of heaven. The next afternoon, they arrived back at Midgar. By that time Aeris was almost able to talk. As they approached the gates, Aeris muttered "C-Cloud? Will the people be happy to see…me?" Cloud replied with a "of course they will!" but as he said this, he looked up at the blazing sun and sighed deeply. They continued on, until they reached the very gates of Sector 7.

"HELLO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cloud hollered as he reached the gates. Everyone dashed out of their houses to greet Cloud. Barret and Tifa barreled out of the bar. Cloud set Aeris down on her wobbly feet and waved to everybody. Tifa leaped like an olympic long jumper, and landed right in Cloud's arms. "(sniff) Cloud, I'm so glad you're alive!" Cloud smiled. "Thank you." Tifa was sobbing softly. Aeris was talking to the people. Cloud set Aeris down and whistled loudly. Everyone was silenced. "I'd like to make an announcement! Using the Phoenix Liquid that a Dr. Zarukan gave me, I was able to accomplish the impossible: I was able to raise this woman, Aeris Gainsborough, from the dead!" There was a tremendous cheer from the crowd. Tifa seemed to disappear into the crowd. Cloud could see Tifa racing off into a dark alley. Cloud glanced into a shadowy area of Sector 7, and thought he made out two dark shapes. Cloud turned to Aeris. Aeris's eyes were sparkling. _What eyes! I'm…melting!_ Cloud was just about to take Aeris into the Seventh Heaven bar when there was a bold voice shouting "STOP!!!!" The crowd turned around to see a dark man approaching the gates. He looked much like Cloud, although he had dark black hair. There was only one soul like that: Zack. A first class Soldier. He walked silently towards Cloud, who had a horrified look on his face. "Z-Zack? H-how d-did you-" Cloud was cut off. "Ha. You don't need to know!" Zack seemed to have a bloodlust, as he had his sword drawn and was drooling. "Ha ha! I will carry out my master's will, scum!" Cloud was taken aback. "M-master? What the hell are you taking about?" Zack laughed menacingly. "Ha ha…the dark lord…ha ha ha. He will live again……hahahaha!" Zack was like a demon, craving blood. He was obviously under some influence of Sephiroth, but Cloud was bewildered. "Zack…you…you bastard? What's wrong with you?" Cloud said, drawing his sword. Bu tZack was too quick. He raised his sword and slashed. Cloud recoiled back. His front was bleeding horribly. Zack swung his blade again, toppling Cloud over. Zack was about to finish Cloud off, but Aeris stepped in. "Zack! How dare you!" Zack looked at Aeris. "Ha! Stupid little girl!" Zack was about to slash Aeris, but Aeris slapped Zack so hard that he fell over. "AUGH!" he cried. He got up. "Now, you die!" "STOP!!!!!!!!!" a voice bellowed. It came from the roof of the Seventh Heaven. Everyone looked up to see wh oit was. It was none other than…"Tifa?????" Cloud said, astonished. Tifa was wearing a blue suit akin to a ninja's suit. She leaped from the roof with the grace of a swan. On her way down, she pulled out a knife, tossed it at Zack, and-"ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!" Zack cried. The knife had gone right through his skin. Tifa ran up to him and started punching him with the fury of a mammoth. Soon, after repeated blows to the head, Zack let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell completely dead. Cloud was stunned. "Tifa…thank you…" Tifa turned at Cloud. "It was nothing!" Tifa said, scratching her head. "I was practicing that move!" Cloud and Aeris got up and thanked her thouroughly. The hours passed, and soon night fell. That night, Cloud could not fall asleep, so he crept from his bunk in the basement of the Seventh Heaven (also where Tifa, Aeris, and Barret were sleeping) and took the elevator up to the bar area. As he went up, he saw he was not alone: Tifa was sitting at a table. Tifa turned around. "Cloud! What are you doing up?" Cloud chuckled. "I was about to ask you the same thing!" Tifa looked up at the ceiling. "Cloud, do you……really love Aeris?" Cloud's face turned sour. He didn't know what to say to this question, especially to Tifa, who he knew fancied him. Tifa looked at the table. "Cloud, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" "No!" Cloud said. "You didn't do anything wrong!" Cloud, at present, was making himself a vodka tonic and was sitting himself down next to Tifa. Cloud put his arm around her gently. "Tifa, I just…" Tifa looked at Cloud. "I know the answer, Cloud. Don't worry, I'm not sad." Tifa took a swig of her drink. Cloud's heart twanged. _I didn't realize what this would do to Tifa…Oh, how can I say this without hurting her feelings…I don't want her to despise me…_ Cloud looked at Tifa. "Tifa, listen. It's just, from the moment I met Aeris, I really…it was love at first sight…I….I don't want…" Tifa looked at Cloud. "Say no more. I know what you mean. I'm going back to bed. You're a great guy, Cloud. I know Aeris won't be disappointed. Tifa kissed Cloud on the check and headed down to the secret room. Cloud sat there, pondering.

Later, that night, Cloud had another visitor up at the bar. It was Aeris. "Aeris!" Cloud yelled. "What're you doing up? Aeris rubbed her eyes. "I…I couldn't sleep. Cloud…. I kept thinking of you….." Aeris giggled softly. Cloud smiled, then took a serious face. "Aeris, do you…really love me?" Aeris smiled. Cloud continued "I mean, as much as Zack?" "Cloud…….Zack….I didn't really love Zack…I guess….I just thought I felt for him because he was in a position of power, and handsome, and…….I guess….oh, Cloud, I don't know!" Aeris flung herself into Cloud's arms. He slowly ran his fingers through her soft, flowing hair. _Aeris…you look like an angel in your nightgown…I love you…I really do…_ Aeris looked at Cloud from within his embrace. "Cloud…I do love you. You are the sweetest man I have ever met…I don't know what happened when I was dead, but…you seem different….in a good way. Cloud, I love you. Really." Aeris smiled, and Cloud smiled back. "And I adore you, too, Aeris!" Cloud said, grinning even more. Cloud pulled Aeris closer, and then, finally, pulled her soft lips into his. They kissed, and it was like two angels kissing. It was truly a kiss of lovers-a kiss that Cloud never truly knew, ever. It was a passionate kiss, and they both enjoyed it very much. They both lived each other immensly. Soon, they pulled away from each other. Their lips were tingling, in a very good way. Aeris blushed and turned away. "Aeris…" Cloud said, turning her face towards him. "What's wrong?" he asked. Aeris stuttered. "It's just that…I don't know…it was just so nice kissing you like that…I loved that!" Aeris giggled, and they kissed again. When they pulled away from each other slowly once again, they both had a feeling of content. True love was, indeed, truly contenting. "I'm tired, Cloud." Aeris said then. "Yeah. Me too." Cloud replied. _I should be able to rest easier now knowing I've found my true soulmate…_ Cloud thought. They both smiled. Cloud and Aeris both embraced, long and sweet. Afterwards, Cloud and Aeris both descended into the lower room and climbed into their respective beds. They both drifted off to sleep, and they both dreamt wonderful dreams…wonderful dreams of each other.

**__**


End file.
